Reporters Without Borders: Since the outbreak of the pandemic, over 130 members of the press have been arrested for reporting on the crisis

At least 387 people working in the media industry around the world had been imprisoned by December 1 of this year, the Reporters Without Borders announced in its annual report.

Five countries were responsible for over half of all convictions: China led the pack with 117 jailed journalists, followed by Saudi Arabia (34), Egypt (30), Vietnam (28) and Syria (27).

While the majority of imprisoned press workers were still men, the number of women arrested in 2020 increased by a third to 42.

Since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic early in the year, over 130 members of the press, be they journalists or otherwise, have been arrested for reporting on the crisis. Some 14 of those were still in jail at the time of the report's publication, says the report.